The Last Star In The Universe
by purplepagoda
Summary: With the re-opening of the X-files how will Mulder and Scully's lives change. Will the thing that brought them together, and tore them apart change their relationship once again. How will Scully deal with Mulder's more mature, and reasonable ideas? Will they finally find what they are looking for, or realize it was right in front of them all along.
1. Night Driving

They sit in the living room of his house, enveloped in silence. They are both positioned on his couch. She sips a cup of tea, and he studies a series of pictures. They both pretend, momentarily that their lives are normal. The act as if these activities are normal for a Friday night, and they would be, if Mulder wasn't studying crime scene photos. Scully stares blankly at the wall, as she holds her mug of warm liquid. She wonders silently, how had this become normal? She puts the cup down, on a coaster that sits on the coffee table between them. She turns towards Mulder, and he feels her eyes hovering on him. He meets her glance, but she doesn't say a word. He takes the photos, and places them back into their manila folder. He tilts his head to the side.

"Scully, what's wrong?"

She exhales, "Do you think that it is possible just for one night for us not to be entangled in the web of the truth that may, or may not be out there?"

"You are suggesting a hiatus from this case? Scully we have been on hiatus for…"

She cuts him off, "We haven't made any progress in hours."

"Fair enough."

"You aren't going to argue?" She furrows her brow, in confusion.

"You're right. We have to be allowed to have some sense of normalcy from time to time. Also, we have been working on this case for three days straight. I am sure that it wouldn't hurt to start fresh tomorrow."

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if they were normal?"

"Boring," he responds rather quickly.

"How can you be so certain?"

"If they were normal I never would have met you."

She rolls her eyes, "I should know better than to try to have serious conversations with you, when you are in this state."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Mulder it's like a psychosis," she explains, briefly.

He just grins, "Then how would you classify your obsession?"

"I am just along for the ride."

He smiles widely, "That gives me an excellent idea."

She groans, "I am not going to the blue lagoon, or Roswell…"

He cuts her off, mid-protest, "Just hear me out."

"Fine," she folds her arms across her chest.

"If you want normal, let's do something completely, and entirely normal."

"Without paranormal involvement?"

"I know that has been the basis of most of our interactions for the past twenty plus years, but I am, indeed suggesting something totally unrelated to the paranormal."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Let's just go for a drive. We will get in the car, and meander aimlessly for the rest of the night."

"Without any preselected location?"

"You can drive," he answers.

"You have to leave the case file where it is."

"Fair enough."

"You have to leave your copy, too."

"Fine, grab your bag."

"I thought you said we were just going to drive around for the night, as in a few hours."

"Scully you never know where we might end up."

"Okay," she agrees.

Ten minutes later she climbs into the driver's seat. Mulder is sitting beside her, as co-pilot, fastening his seatbelt. He places a cup in her cup holder, and she flashes him a disapproving look.

"It has a lid on it," he tells her.

"Is it tea?"

He shrugs, "It might be."

"You will have to stop and pee in an hour," she points out.

"You just finished your tea ten minutes ago," he rebuttles.

She turns the car on, "Would you like to select the radio station?"

"No radio," he shakes his head.

"We're just going to drive in silence?"

"I thought we could talk."

She pulls away from the house, "What is it that you would like to talk about, Mulder?"

"Along the way, if we happen to pass a twenty four hour diner that serves pie…"

"You just said no preselected destinations," she calls him out.

"That would really just be a pit stop."

She rolls her eyes, "I make no promises."

"Scully can I ask you a serious question?"

"I haven't known you to be capable of such a thing yet," she answers, with her voice dripping in sarcasm.

She pulls onto the road, and turns right, instead of their typical left turn. He ignores her sarcasm.

"What do you do for fun when I'm not around?"

"I read."

"Scully, I said fun," he repeats.

"I might do a crossword puzzle."

He sighs, "That's right, I forgot."

She looks over at him, "Forgot what?"

"You don't know how to have fun."

"What do you do for fun, when I'm not around?" She throws the question back in his face.

"I watch movies, and such."

"So, you don't know how to have fun, either?"

"Scully I am loads of fun."

She grips the steering wheel, and focuses on the road. He tilts the back of his seat backwards, and settles in for the drive. He closes his eyes, and quickly drifts back to sleep. He wakes up hours later, and finds himself tucked away in a parking spot. He finds Scully leaning against the hood of the car. He unbuckles his seatbelt, and exits the vehicle. He looks at the sky, and realizes that it is nearly sunrise. He glances over at Scully, and then follows her line of sight. He sees the ocean nearby.

"Scully how long was I asleep?"

"When did you get so old?"

"Excuse me?"

"You were snoring by ten o'clock, last night."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Quite some time, Mulder."

"Where are we?"

"Charleston."

"West Virginia? There is no beach in West Virginia."

"Mulder it is nearly sunrise. We are not in West Virginia. You know how I feel about West Virginia."

"Something treacherous happens every time we visit?"

"We are in South Carolina."

"Why are we in South Carolina?"

"I got tired of driving, and you were over there, sawing logs."

"Scully," he takes a step closer to her.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired."

"You seem very distant lately," he makes a keen observation.

"The reopening of the X-files, just brings up a lot of things for me."

He grins, "Things you so skillfully tucked in a box, and put on a shelf, never to consider again?"

"Do you ever think about what we missed out on, because of the choices that we made?"

"Yeah," he nods, "I never should have let you go."


	2. Deficient

That evening, on their way back to his house, he thinks about what she's asked him earlier. He drives, and she sleeps in the passenger's seat. He wonders in the silence if he's made a mistake. Should he have chosen differently? It is clear to him that there is something on her mind, something that she won't talk about. He doesn't pry. They are fifteen minutes from home when her eyes flutter open. She looks over at him, and returns her seat into an upright position. She looks over, and finds him eating pie while he drives.

"Mulder where did you get pie?"

"I stopped in West Virginia," he jokes.

She scowls at him. "Seriously?"

"It is Virginian pie, and yours is right there," he points to her feet.

She finds a Styrofoam container sitting at her feet. She reaches for the pie. She pulls a plastic fork out of the cup holder. She shakes her head, as Mulder's Styrofoam container sits between his legs. One hand holds onto the wheel, while the other clenches a fork, and shovels bites of pie into his mouth.

"I am surprised that you haven't stabbed yourself yet."

"I nearly hit my femoral artery a few minutes ago. I am surprised my cursing didn't wake you up."

"I guess I was tired."

"Do you think that we're getting too old for this?"

"Were certainly not in our twenties, or even our thirties anymore."

"Scully, we aren't even in our forties anymore."

"Why do you have to keep reminding me of that?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot that you quit counting after thirty nine."

"Mulder why are you bringing up our ages?"

"It seems like we require more sleep than we used to. I mean, you even took a nap in the middle of the day," he points out.

"Yes, Mulder, we are getting older. We don't have as much energy as we used to."

"Do you think that we have vitamin deficiencies?"

"I think we are experiencing normal age related changes."

"I think pie may be the cure."

She takes a bite of coconut cream pie, and ruminates on the thought. A few moments pass in silence as they chew. Once she swallows she looks over at him.

"I don't recall giving you permission to eat in my car."

"I don't think I asked."

"You are notorious for spilling," she points out.

"We're both adults, I think we can handle some pie eating in the car."

"You couldn't wait until we made it back to your place?"

"Scully, sometimes you are a fun-sucker."

"Thank you, Mulder, I appreciate that."

* * *

On Monday, they are sitting in their basement office. Mulder sits behind his computer, compiling a report. Scully rises from her desk, and heads for the door.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"I have an appointment," she informs him.

"At eleven o'clock in the morning? Scully it's almost lunchtime."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"What kind of an appointment?'

"To get my vitamin deficiency checked out," she jokes, exiting the room.

He shakes his head, "She thinks she is so funny."

* * *

After she returns from her clandestine meeting about an hour later, she becomes eerily quiet. Later that evening, she finds herself once again, sitting on Mulder's couch gearing up for a late night of poring over evidence. Without any provocation Mulder places his files on the coffee table, and turns to look at her. She is wearing her glasses, reading intently. He taps her leg gently. She looks over at him, and tosses her files into the pile, peeling her glasses off in the process.

"Yes, Mulder?"

"You've been awfully quiet today."

"Is that a crime?"

"It is typically not a positive sign, when you are pensive."

"If you have a question I suggest that you ask it, Mulder."

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," she lies.

"Scully?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Something is on your mind."

"It's probably just my vitamin deficiency," she teases.

"I am trying to be serious, here."

"I am just tired, Mulder."

"I am tired of getting older, it sucks," he adds.

"I wholeheartedly agree."

"What is really going on with you?"

"I have just been thinking," she admits.

"About?"

"Thanksgiving?"

"Scully, it's February. Why are you thinking about Thanksgiving? Are you in the mood for turkey? I would think that you would be considering your birthday, since it is right around the corner."

"I was thinking about last Thanksgiving," she tells him.

"Oh. Last Thanksgiving was rather nice," he admits.

She furrows her brow, "I don't seem to recall you having that sentiment when my mother was interrogating you."

"I really think that your mother missed her calling. Maybe we should consider adding her to the team to be our official interrogator."

"I told you what would happen."

"I love your family. Obviously, you get your stubborn nature from your mother."

"What could possibly make you say that?"

"Every single time I see her she grills me about when I am going to make you an honest woman. Why does she always bring up marriage? What am I supposed to say to her? You're the one who always squashes the subject anytime I bring it up. It isn't my fault that you are some crazy person with fear of commitment, and no desire for labels. Why were you thinking about Thanksgiving? That is very random."

"The mind tends to be a random place, Mulder."

"You are very calculating. If you have been fixating on Thanksgiving all day, there is clearly a reason."

"I think my vitamin deficiency is making me weak."

"Will you stop with the vitamin deficiency?"

"You are the one who suggested it. I really feel like you're off your game."

"Why is that?"

"In the past you would have suggested a brain eating amoeba, or supernatural possession, or even alien abduction."

"I am trying to be more reasonable in my old age."

"I know you think I am joking about the vitamin deficiency, and I am to some degree."

"What do you mean to some degree?"

"I had a doctor's appointment today. I do have low iron."

"Since when do you go to the doctor?"

"I suspected that my iron was low."

"You would usually just run a lab test on yourself."

"We are required to undergo yearly physicals to maintain our benefits through the bureau."

"I had to do my weeks ago."

"I kept rescheduling mine, but Skinner pulled me in the office the other day, and threatened to suspend me if I didn't complete mine."

"Why?"

"Probably because he found out that I haven't had a yearly physical in three years."

"They are painless. I know you have trust issues, but come on, Scully. They take like fifteen minutes."

"When was the last time that you had one?"

"I get one every year."


	3. Nothing Important Happened Today

The following morning Mulder, and Scully are sitting in their office when the phone rings. Mulder answers the phone, and puts the caller on hold. He looks over a Scully.

"Dana, it's for you," he informs her.

"Who is it?"

"Doctor Hunter's office."

"Thank you," she picks up the receiver. He watches her as she speaks to the party on the other end.

"This is she," she informs the person on the other end of the line. She listens intently for the next several moments. "I have a pretty busy day today, can't you just tell me over the phone?" She looks at her watch, "Yes, I'll be right over," she hangs up.

"Something wrong?"

She shrugs, "I don't know. They called to ask me to come back into the office. They wanted to talk to me in person about some test results."

"When?"

"In about ten minutes.

"Let's go."

"Mulder, it is not necessary…"

"I am going with you," he argues, flashing back to her being in the hospital, clinging to life, with body full of cancer.

She rolls her eyes, and knows better than to argue. He follows her out of the office. They exit the building, and walk across the street. Mulder follows Scully into the third building. She take an elevator to the third floor, and she leads him into a waiting room. She gives the receptionist her name, and is ushered into a hallway. She stops, and turns towards Mulder.

"It is not necessary for you to join me."

"I disagree," he insists.

She rolls her eyes, and allows him to follow her into an exam room. She sits in a blue plastic chair. Within a few moments the doctor enters the room, carrying her chart. He takes a seat on the stool.

"I wanted to discuss your test results with you."

"We discussed my iron," she reminds him.

"I had another panel of tests run after you left, as we discussed," he reminds her.

"Was there an abnormality?"

He pulls out a sheet of paper, and hands it to her. Mulder sits next to her in silence. Before she has a change to look at it, the doctor makes eye contact.

"Is it okay if we discuss the results in front of…"

"Mulder? It's fine."

"Okay," the physician nods in agreement.

Her eyes shift to the piece of paper in her hands. She reads the results, and shakes her head. She makes eye contact with the physician.

"I think that there has been some error," she insists, refusing to allow Mulder to see the results.

"I assure you, there has been no error," Dr. Hunter insists.

"I think that my sample has been mixed up with someone else's," she suggests.

"We can find out rather easily. If you will walk across the hall, my colleague Dr. Martin has an opening."

"I…"

Mulder helps her out of the chair. She refuses to explain what is transpiring. Dr. Hunter leads her across the hallway, into another room. A young female doctor waits for her.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Martin."

Dana shakes her hand, and says absolutely nothing to her. Mulder takes a seat in a plastic chair, as Dr. Hunter leaves the room. He looks around the room. He squints, unable to read the writing on the physician's lab coat.

He furrows his brow, trying to make sense of the situation as he is finally able to make sense of the print on the physician's lab coat. Dr Martin turns to Scully. "Would you like me have him step out?"

She shakes her head as she stands before the physician, "He can stay."

Dr. Martin points to a door in the back corner of the room. "That is a bathroom. I am going to have you go in there, and put a gown on."

She nods, in agreement. She quickly changes into a very unflattering paper gown. As she exits the bathroom she realizes how sweaty her palms suddenly are. She takes a seat on the exam table.

"What is going on?"

"There was an abnormality in my labs, and they want to do further testing. I am certain that it was a false positive," Dana rationalizes.

They sit in silence as Dr. Martin switches into a very task-oriented mode. Mulder vacates his seat, and moves across the room. He stops next to his partner. Without a single word he takes her hand. In the next several moments they both try to wrap their head around what is going on. The physician freezes the image on the screen. Mulder, and Scully both stare at it in utter confusion. Mulder breaks the silence.

"Don't you usually have technician who does these sorts of things?"

"She just stepped out for lunch," the physician explains, as she continues with her examination.

* * *

As they exit the building several minutes later Mulder looks over at Scully.

"We should go get lunch," he informs her.

"Can we just have pie?"

He grins, "Yup."

They walk in silence down the sidewalk, until they reach the diner. They enter the restaurant, and have a seat. The waitress comes up to them, and they order beverages, and their choice of pie. Once the waitress leaves Mulder determines it is time to bring up the elephant in the room.

"Scully, I think that we should talk about this."

"I would prefer not to."

"Scully," he chides.

"Mulder, please," she begs.

"Did that just happen?" He says aloud, unable to keep it to himself any longer.

"Unless we are in some alternate reality."

He pinches the skin on the back of her hand, "Ouch."

"I think that this is reality," he points out.

"It doesn't seem real."

"I didn't know what they were going to say," he tells her.

"That my cancer was back, that was something that I considered. I think that I should get a second opinion."

"Scully, this doesn't make any sense," he adds.

"It doesn't seem within the realm of possibility," she admits.

"Our lives always seem a little stranger than fiction, don't they?"

"Mulder, this isn't even a remote possibility. I don't care what they said, they're wrong. I don't care what kind of credentials they have, there has been some sort of mistake."

"Do you think that this is a government conspiracy?"

"Is that what you think?" She questions.

"I wouldn't put it past them."

"But?"

He shakes his head, "That isn't the vibe I'm getting."

"This is not possible. I would have better odds of winning the lottery, being struck by lightning, and winning the hunger games on the same day."

He grins, at the thought of her participating in the hunger games, "That is probably true," he pulls out his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Googling."

"Googling, what? My odds of winning the lottery?"

He shakes his head, "Other doctors."

"No," she argues.

"No?"

"I'll do it myself," she tells him.

"Where are you going to get the equipment?"


	4. Nothing Important Happened Today II

Later that day they leave work together. As she walks to her car she is silent. He walks behind her, and he can tell that she is completely engrossed in thought. She unlocks the vehicle, and climbs into the driver's seat. Without a word he situates himself in the seat next to her. She puts the key in the ignition as he closes his door. She reaches for her seat belt, and secures it accordingly. He looks over at her, and can see she is experiencing a maelstrom of thoughts, and emotions. She doesn't immediately turn the car on. She exhales, and then turns to look at him. He waits, uncharacteristically patiently for her to offer an explanation to this situation. She purses her lips deliberating about where to begin. He nudges her gently.

"Dana, talk to me."

"I have to admit, rather begrudgingly I thought that you were right. What you said, despite my incessant teasing, sound plausible. I thought that I probably just had some sort of vitamin deficiency."

"But?"

"I have just been tired lately. At first I thought that it was all of the running, and chasing after creatures in the night."

"But?"

"Then upon analysis I realized I have been feeling tired longer than the x-files have been reopened."

"Which led you to consider the vitamin deficiency?"

"I did consider it, but I then moved on to a much more likely scenario."

"Which was?"

"Mulder, I am a woman of a certain age," she points out.

"You're immortal, Scully," he jokes.

"I am not stranger to the effects of father time."

"Neither am I. The other day I was wondering when my joints got so old, and unwilling to participate in physical activity."

She nearly grins, "The point that I am trying to make is, that I assumed that I was simply going through a life change referred to as menopause."

"What made you reach that conclusion?"

"I mentioned the fatigue," she points out.

"It wasn't just one thing, knowing you," he voices.

"Do you remember how I mentioned that I was thinking about Thanksgiving?"

"Yes," he nods, "That was a good holiday."

She rolls her eyes, "It wasn't a random firing of neurons that got me thinking about Thanksgiving. I was thinking about Thanksgiving, because I was trying to recall the last time I had a period, and I remembered that it was some time before Thanksgiving."

"So when you were finally forced go to your physical what happened?"

"I mentioned that I thought that was a possibility."

"Did you mention the vitamin deficiency?"

"Obviously, I did."

"You can say that I was right, it is okay," he grins.

"You were partially right, Mulder."

"Scully, are you okay?"

The car falls silent. Scully breaks eye contact. He can see her shutting down, and going deeply introspective. He reaches over, and takes her hand, which has been resting on her leg. He squeezes, and disrupts the silence.

"I'm right here," he reminds her, "Talk to me," he insists in a soft tone.

"And say, what?"

"Anything. Whatever you're thinking, you should say that."

"After all of these years working with you, you would think that instead of jumping to the most logical and linear conclusion based on scientific evidence I may instead choose to consider outside possibilities. Instead of considering other possibilities, I reached a conclusion before I had all of the evidence. If you have taught me anything it is to consider the unexpected. You listen to your gut, and I didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"My gut kept screaming that the most logical and linear conclusion may in fact be incorrect."

"Why didn't you listen?"

"I told myself, I was wrong. It sounded like your voice, instead of mine."

"I'm pretty persistent, and pesky, aren't I?"

"You are incorrigible, Mulder."

He smiles, "Well, Scully, that is simply part of my charm."

She rolls her eyes, "I beg to differ. That is the one characteristic that you possess that makes me liken you to the plague."

"Bubonic, or pneumonic?"

"I am trying to have a serious conversation with you, and you're over there making jokes."

"It is habit. I'm sorry. Please continue."

"Continue? What am I supposed to say?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Confused. I am feeling confused, Mulder. This is not logical, or linear. This does not make the slightest bit of sense. It makes me feel sick to even think about it."

He smirks, "I don't think thinking about it is what is making you feel sick."

"I don't know how to even begin to wrap my head around all of this."

"Why don't we gather all of the pertinent evidence first? I know that you have a serious mistrust of other medical professionals when it comes to your own personal health. I can understand why you would have those misgivings."

"What do you suggest?"

"You already suggested it," he points out.

"I suggested what?"

"Use the skills of a medical professional that you do trust."

"You're the one who muses to trust no one."

"I am talking about you, Scully. I think you can trust yourself. If you want unbiased confirmation, you should perform the necessary testing yourself."

"You're right," she nods in agreement.

"I usually am," he admits.

"Are you going to buckle?"

He nods in agreement as she turns away from him. She turns on the car, and checks the back up camera display. Once she's satisfied that there is nothing behind them she shifts the vehicle into reverse. She backs out of her parking spot, and heads down the row. They move towards the exit of the parking garage, and Mulder once again breaks the silence.

"Just this once I am hoping your wrong," he tells her.

She looks over at him with a furrowed brow, "You always hope that my hypothesis is incorrect, because it typically means that you are right."

He smiles widely, "I do enjoy being right."

She groans, "It must be exhausting to be right all of the time."


	5. Worse Than A Government Conspiracy

He exits the car in the garage of the hospital. He follows her down a flight of stairs. She leads him into the basement of the hospital. She pulls out a key, and opens a door to a room labelled storage. He finds a room full of medical equipment. He finds an old stainless steel exam table, which is slightly rusty on the bottom, and a tad unbalanced. He clears a path as she rolls over a machine that looks decades old. She pulls out a plug, and he jams it into an outlet on the wall. He offers her a hand as she hoists herself onto the table. She takes a seat, and then shifts into a lying position on the table. She situates herself in a supine position. He hands her the gel, and the probe. She pulls on her shirt tails, removing them from their secure location within her pants. She then proceeds to unbutton the single button on her pants. He presses the on button that is on the surface of the machine, and she squirts the gel onto her abdomen. She grimaces.

"Does that hurt?"

She shakes her head, "It's just cold."

"Scully is it necessary to sneak around down here for this?"

"Please just humor me," she insists.

He nods in agreement, "I always do," he reminds her as he hands her the probe. She presses the probe to her abdomen. She moves it around in the gel until she locates what she is looking for. They both stare at the screen in silence. She stops, and her breath hitches as she studies the image.

"That is the same thing that we saw earlier," he points out. She instructs him to use tools on the machine to measure. She has him print out different images. He presses print, and images spit out.

"Volume, Mulder." He turns on the volume. They hear a rhythmic beat. He doesn't say anything. He hands her the paper towel that he acquired from a sink when they entered the room. She wipes the gel of her stomach, and off the probe. She turns the machine off. She buttons her pants, and he unplugs the machine. She doesn't bother to tuck her shirt back in, as he rolls the ultrasound machine into the corner in which she found it to begin with. He returns to her. She sits on the edge of the stainless steel table, with her legs dangling over the edge. He hands her the pile of pictures, and leans against the table, next to her.

"Scully, say something," he insists.

"What the hell, Mulder?" She locks eyes with him.

He grins, "Don't blame me for this." He can see where her line of thinking is going.

"This does not make the first bit of sense."

He nods, "Sure it does."

"How?"

"Sometimes people are wrong."

"Countless specialists were wrong?"

"Obviously, unless this machine was wrong too."

"It is down here because it is a relic, not because it is unreliable. People want clearer, crisper images. They demand three dimensions."

"Are you satisfied that this is real? It is only a two dimensional image."

"I am not satisfied about it."

"Then, what are you?"

"Profoundly confused, and somewhat annoyed."

"Scully, what do you want me to say?"

"That is some strange dream."

"Do you think that it is?"

"No," she shakes her head.

"Do you think that this is related somehow to supernatural events?"

"No, Mulder, I do not. Nothing unusual has happened to me in recent months. I was just minding my own business. You had to insist on going to Thanksgiving with me."

"So this is all my fault?"

"No."

"So now what?"

"We wait," she answers.

"For what?"

She shrugs, "I don't know."

"We can keep this to ourselves for a while, if that would be your preference."

"We should go," she slides off the table onto the floor. She walks past him, towards the door. He follows her. She is silent all the way back to the car. She hands him the car keys without a word. They climb inside the vehicle, and he takes her back to his house. She vacates her seat in the vehicle, and heads onto the front porch. She pulls her key out of her pocket, and opens the door. She enters the house, and flips on the light. She takes a seat at the kitchen table. Mulder comes in behind her. He places the pictures on the table, in front of her.

"Are you hungry?"

She stares at the pictures in silence. He pulls out the chair next to her, and takes a seat. She scrutinizes each picture, one by one.

"Scully?"

She doesn't answer him.

"Dana!"

"Do you know how we were talking about getting old, the other day?"

"Yes," he nods in confirmation.

"This makes me feel very old," she admits.

"I would think it would make you feel young."

"It does not," she voices dissent.

"What do you want me to say? What can I say to make you feel better?"

"There is nothing that you can say."

"What can I do?"

"Mulder, there isn't anything that you can do. You have done enough."

"How long are you going to sulk about this?"

"I haven't entirely decided yet."

"This is a good thing."

"This is scarier than a monster, or a government conspiracy."

"Why is that?"

"There is no avoiding it. There is no changing it."

"This definitely is not how I pictured this scenario playing out," he admits.

"You have pictured this scenario playing out?" She cocks an eyebrow.

"Not recently."

"How did you picture it?" She wonders.

"I thought maybe you would do some back handsprings. I considered you setting off fireworks, or baking a cake. I figured you would be jumping for joy."

"Sometimes you come up with the most ridiculous scenarios," she almost cracks a smile.

"That is one of the things that you love about me."

"None of those scenarios are very plausible."

"Sure they are."

"Mulder, I'm pregnant," she finally admits this aloud.

He grins, "That doesn't keep you from baking a cake."

"Are you hungry?"

"You're not?"

"No," she shakes her head.

"This is not an experiment. There was no meddling from outside technology. This is just me, and you… and…"

"This certainly feels like some twisted social experiment. In fact, this is worse than a government conspiracy," she replies.

"Why, because now you're stuck with me?"


	6. In A Universe Full Of Second Opinions

For the next several days neither of them even bring up the subject. At the end of the week Mulder finds himself standing in front of Scully's door. He doesn't knock. He pushes the door open, and enters. She hears the door open.

"I'm in here," she calls out.

He follows the sound of her voice into the kitchen. He finds her leaning against the island, reading a magazine.

"Mulder, what are you doing here?"

"Just checking in," he informs her.

"We left work an hour ago," she points out.

"I know."

"Is there something on your mind, Mulder?"

"No," he lies.

She stares at him through the glasses at the end of her nose. She takes her glasses off, and places them on the island. She closes her magazine, and walks around the island. Without a word she leaves the room. He follows her into the living room. She takes a seat on the couch, situating herself for an endless conversation. He takes a seat at the other end of the couch. He turns towards her, and begins to speak.

"You're like a clam," he begins.

"Mulder, just stop," shooting him the _'I'm not in the mood'_ look.

"Why do you always shut me out?"

"Me?!" Her voice cracks, "You are always shutting me out. Every time I come around a corner I found out that you've kept me in the dark about something. I know it is your twisted way of trying to protect me, but I am not that fragile. I am not going to shatter into pieces. It insults me that you don't know that by now."

"I do know that."

"Then why do you insist on keeping me in the dark?"

He shrugs, "If the ship goes down, I don't want you to go with it."

"Mulder, I am incredibly flattered by your chivalry, but enough already."

"Okay," he agrees.

She furrows her brow, "How do I know that you're not just saying that to mollify me?"

"We have been chasing monsters in the dark for so long that I have made an incredible error."

"What the hell are you talking about? Is this where you leap down the rabbit hole filled with conspiracies?"

He shakes his head, "No. This has nothing to do with a conspiracy, unless you are referring to the one where you and I continually try to sabotage our own progress in life."

"What are you babbling about?"

"The error that I have made, is that I keep failing to see what it is that I have. Instead of reaching out, and grabbing what is right in front of my face, I keep pushing it aside to chase the unknown. I find myself chasing monsters in the dark, and it is maddening."

"I am usually next to you when you're chasing monsters in the dark," she points out.

"Dana! I am tired of chasing monsters in the dark."

She shakes her head, "I don't understand."

"It is not easy for me to change my stripes. You know that better than anyone else. What I am trying to say is that I want to start living. I want normalcy."

She cocks an eyebrow in disbelief, "I can't picture you as some poor schmuck who is content with the information given to you by the media, or the agency, or the government."

"I will always question things, but right now I am questioning my own motivations. I find myself wondering how my methods could be so dramatically, and catastrophically incorrect."

"Mulder I have no idea what you're even talking about. Are we talking about the conspiracy, or not?"

"No, I am talking about us."

She doesn't say a single word. She just looks at him, and purses her lips. She exhales, and he concludes that her silence is a signal for him to continue.

"We could never put the pieces of the puzzle together, because neither one of us has ever been completely invested in this. It's like trying to negotiate when one of the parties isn't at the table. I want to be very clear, I am tired. I am too old to play these games anymore. I don't want to live separate lives for the rest of our days. I want to be invested in this. They can keep their conspiracy."

"You can't be fully present, because you are too invested in a desire to finish the mission that you set out on all those years ago."

"I want you. I don't want to die alone as some crazy old man shouting at the sky for answers. This all started because my family was torn apart by external forces, when I was a child. Now I am the one tearing things apart. The only person who can get back what I lost is me."

"What am I supposed to say to that, Mulder?"

"Something! Anything, Scully! Any response would be fine."

"Are you done?"

He shrugs, "I don't know."

"Mulder, no one wants to be alone."

"I am not just saying this because I don't want to be alone. I want to keep from repeating mistakes that I have already made."

She falls silent once again. His cheeks turn red as his frustration grows. She breaks eye contact. He notices her eyes shift to an object lying on the coffee table. He clears his throat, but her gaze doesn't shift. She doesn't answer him. She leans forward, and removes the box from the coffee table. The box is the size of a shoebox, and is grey in color. There is a rectangle on the front that can be used to place a label. Without a word she hands the box to him. He leans back in his seat, and places the box in his lap. He removes the lid, and places it between them. He finds a neat stack of images. He begins thumbing through them one by one. When he's finished he finds that he's holding just one. He smiles as returns the rest of them to the box, replacing the lid when he's done. He places the box on the coffee table, and turns to her, waiting for her to explain.

"I guess that I was in a state of disbelief. I got a second opinion."

"This looks like more than a second opinion, Scully."

"I went to see a physician in Virginia."

"Okay."

She continues, "Then I called in a favor to someone I know in Maryland."

"I understand."

"Finally, today I went for another opinion in Delaware."

"What did you conclude?"

"Fact is far stranger than fiction, apparently."

"That has often been my stance," he affirms.

"Every single time I garner consistent results. Every single independent provider provides the same facts."

"What are the facts?"

"They confirm that everything is absolutely normal including size, and development."

He scoots over to her, and wraps his arms around her, and she tucks her head under his chin.

"It's okay to be scared," he reminds her, as he holds her close to him.


	7. Irrational Beliefs Regarding Normalcy

"I have a million different scenarios running through my head," she admits, as he lets go of her.

He nods understandingly, "What does your gut say?"

"That they're right, and everything is perfectly fine."

"Does that scare you?"

"I think that scares me more," she admits, shaking her head in disbelief.

He furrows his brow, "Why would that scare you more?"

"What if everything is fine? What if everything is completely normal, and all we have to face are all of the totally normal obstacles of this scenario playing out in our geriatric states."

He chuckles, "We are not geriatric."

"We are geriatric in this scenario," she disagrees.

"What about the normal end of things scares you?"

"All of the risks. I mean the list is absolutely endless."

"I understand."

"What if I can't keep up?"

"I'm right here."

"You are slower than I am," she points out.

"Two against one seems like pretty good odds."

"What if something is…"

He cuts her off, "Are you saying that you don't want to do this?"

"No, that isn't what I am saying at all."

"It is okay to be scared. I understand if you feel terrified."

"What if my body betrays me?"

"Let's just take this one step at a time," he suggests, feeling that she is beginning to catastrophize.

"Okay," she agrees.

"How long do you want to wait until we tell anyone?"

She shrugs, "A while."

He nods in agreement, "You just say when, and I will be happy to support that decision."

"What if you can't do it?"

"Do what?"

"This. Mulder we have tried to make it work before, and we failed miserably."

"Give me another chance."

As she looks at him she realizes that he has a huge grin on his face. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," he fibs.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I am just thinking about what she might look like," he admits.

She furrows her brow, "She? Mulder sometimes your imagination gets the best of you. It is too early to know anything, other than the lifeform appears to be human."

"Well, I know."

"How, could you possibly know?"

"Intuition," he insists.

"Really?!"

"I dreamt about it years ago."

She rolls her eyes, "Mulder, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I dreamt about having a little girl."

"Then why can't you picture her?"

"I dreamt about painting her nursery."

"Now you are just making things up," she argues.

"I also saw a blanket with her name on it."

"You have lost your mind," she insists.

"I am going to write down her name on a piece of paper, and put it away. I won't let you look at it until she's born, and has a name. If that is not her name, then you can have me committed."

"I consider that on a daily basis. It won't prove anything, Mulder. You could just write down whatever it is that I come up with, or persuade me to choose that name. What if I give it to a neutral third party?"

"Who?"

"I'll give it to Skinner, and ask him not to open it, but to present it to us in a sealed envelope at the hospital."

"You could bribe him."

"I won't," he vows.

"What happens if you are completely, and totally wrong, and whatever comes out is of the male persuasion?"

"I will look like a total idiot, and you can call him Ishmael."

She rolls he eyes, "Sometimes you wear me out."

* * *

One afternoon they are fastened into their seatbelts, in Scully's car. Scully focuses on the road as they drive along. She abruptly turns off the radio, and begins a conversation.

"When are we going to give this up?"

"You know, Scully I have been thinking about that quite a bit."

She sighs, "Great!"

"We will resign our positions on d-day. I will stay home, and you can go back to working as a doctor."

She shakes her head, "I hate that plan."

"Would you be jealous? That is the most economical plan."

"I have savings, and investments, Mulder."

"I am sure that you do."

"I will stay home."

"Would you want to stay home?"

"You can keep working on the x-files."

"I am going to give it up," he insists.

She shakes her head, "The only way this works is if you keep looking for the truth."

"What if we find the truth before then?"

"Spoiler-alert, Mulder, it is going to be a lifelong pursuit."

"How would we make that work?"

"You have to be home by dinner every night," she reveals.

"Okay," he answers without a hint of resistance.

"And no talk of conspiracy at the table."

"Done, and done."

She stops at the red light in front of them. He finds himself staring at her as they wait for green. She catches him out of the corner of her eye.

"Can I help you?"

He stares at her mid-section, "Scully you can't keep this up forever."

The light changes colors, and she ignores his comment. She accelerates through the light, and they head home.


	8. Mundane Suburban Lifestyle

She is sitting in bed, with her head against the backboard, as she reads. She hears footsteps exit the bathroom, and move towards her. The lamp on her bedside stand illuminates the room. The figure in the doorway moves towards her. He pulls back the covers, and climbs in bed next to her. He looks over at her, as she stares at the pages of a medical journal through her glasses.

"Scully this doesn't feel right. How do you do this?"

"Read?" She responds without making eye contact.

"No."

"Sit in bed, and read?"

"How do you live in the suburbs? I am never going to understand your decision to move to the suburbs. It feels unnatural. All of the houses have same floorplan, and…"

"Mulder that is not true."

"Okay, so there are four floorplans," he corrects himself.

"There are at least twelve different floorplans. I haven't been in every house in the neighborhood, but there were different floorplans, and different builders."

"Remind me, how long have you lived in this house, now?"

"Five years, Mulder."

"Why did you need three bedrooms, and a basement?"

"I need a basement so I can hide the bodies," she says dryly, without looking up from her reading material.

"And the other two bedrooms?"

"A guest bedroom, and an office."

"Your guest bed is in your office, and your third bedroom is a home for eight thousand pairs of shoes."

"You love conspiracy, I love shoes. Mulder, we all have our crosses to bear."

"Will you put that down?" He pushes the book away from her face.

She turns towards him with a furrowed brow, and a look of disapproval, "Will you go to bed?"

"It is ten o'clock," he argues like a petulant child.

She rolls her eyes, and she places her reading material on her bedside stand. She looks over at him.

"You have my full attention, what do you want?"

"Will you change your mind?"

"About bedtime, or the shoes?"

"About tomorrow?"

"No."

"Please," he begs.

"No."

"Fine," he folds his arms across his chest.

She grabs the medical journal, and resumes reading. He sits next to her in silence. He finds his eyes drifting in her direction. She is wearing his white t-shirt, and no pajama bottoms. The bedclothes cover her legs, and stop under her mid-section. He watches her stomach as she inhales, and exhales.

"You're staring," she warns.

"Shake and bake, and I helped," he responds, laughing.

She groans, and tosses her reading material, and her glasses onto the bedside stand. She turns and looks at him. She points to her abdomen.

"Shake, and bake? Really, Mulder?"

He grins, "I mean that is basically how it happened."

"Go to bed."

"How long are we going to keep this little gem to ourselves?" He places his hand on her stomach. She doesn't swat it away.

"The anticipation is killing you, isn't it?"

"It has been months, and things are being navigating rather fluidly. I somehow have been convinced into relocating to suburbia, and…"

"You are free to leave at any time," she reminds him, "This isn't a prison sentence."

"You are going to have to buy more pants, Scully. If you keep wearing the same ones the button is going to pop off, and take Skinner's eye out the next time we are in his office."

"I already bought new pants."

"A strategically placed blazer button is not going to hide that much longer."

She flips off the light, and slides under the covers.

* * *

He drums his thumb on the back of his phone as he waits. He sits in a blue plastic chair, in an exam room. Scully sits on the exam table chewing gum. She looks over at him, and shoots him an irritated look.

"Mulder!"

There is a knock on the door, and the physician enters the room. She quickly washes her hands, and begins her exam. The technician enters the room close behind her. Mulder's chair is positioned next to the exam table. The physician breaks the silence.

"So as I have explained previously the purpose of this scan is to get a good picture of the baby's anatomy. We can discuss gender at this juncture, and I do already have those results after your last exam, when we completed the amniocentesis. Do you want to find out?"

Mulder stares at the screen, silently, fully aware that he has been vetoed.

"Yes," a voice blurts out.

He looks over at Scully with a furrowed brow, "What?"

"Yes," she repeats.

"You have said that you didn't want to know a thousand times," he points out.

"I have changed my mind."

"Are you certain?" The physician questions.

"Yes," Scully nods in confirmation.

"Okay," they physician nods.

The technician begins, and they study each portion of the baby's anatomy. Once again every single portion of the unborn baby appears entirely normal, and human. Mulder looks over at Scully, who remains silent. The technician begins typing.

Half an hour later they find themselves in Skinner's office. They are seated before him. Mulder waits for their reprimand, and a cough, and a wink telling them to continue covertly.

"So what is the dilemma this morning?" Mulder questions.

"There isn't one. Agent Scully sent me a text message last night, and asked if we could meet this morning," Skinner informs him.

"Oh."

Walter looks at Dana, "You have the floor, Agent Scully."

She rises from her seat, "Sorry, I'm just a little uncomfortable," she explains as she casually unbuttons her blazer.

"Agent Scully you stated that this was an urgent matter," he adds.

"Mulder has something to give you," she begins.

Mulder pulls a folded envelope out of his jacket pocket, in confusion. He hands the sealed envelope to Skinner.

"We were hoping you would keep this unopened in a safe place for us," Scully explains.

Skinner nods, and pulls open his desk drawer. He drops the envelope inside.

"Is that all?"

"No," she reaches into her case file, "I thought you might want to have a look at this." She places the picture on the desk, face down, and slides it across to him. There is a date written in her handwriting on the back, in pencil. He takes a look at her.

"Is this from the case?" He questions as she has removed the image from her case file.

She shakes her head, "It has nothing to do with the case."

He studies the date on the back, "Is this supposed to mean something?"

Mulder interjects, "Sir, I suggest flipping it over to the other side."


	9. Revealing Unconventional Future Plans

Skinner flips the paper over. He finds a black and white image. He studies the picture, and then notices the name on the top of the image.

He furrows his brow, "Agent Scully, is this some sort of joke? Is it some sort of belated April fool's joke?"

"No, Sir, I assure you that it is not."

He reexamines the evidence. His eyes widen, "This is from today."

"Yes," she confirms, as she stands in front of his desk.

"I don't understand. How did this happen? I didn't know that the two of you were trying to get pregnant. Were you undergoing IVF?"

Mulder shakes his head, "No. This happened through a process referred to going to Scully's mother's during the holidays, and drinking a little too much."

"The holidays?" He arches an eyebrow.

He flips the photo over, and reads the date on the back, "This is a due date, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Scully confirms.

"I don't understand how this happened," he admits, "You two…" he trails off.

"We are fully aware of our age, and limitations. We are also aware of the scientific improbability, and to our utter surprise here we are." Mulder responds.

Skinner rises from his seat. He moves over to Scully, "I guess congratulations are in order," he smiles, and envelopes her into a hug.

"Walter, I want you to know that I did put your name on the suggestion list, however Scully is very much against non-traditional names."

Skinner furrows his brow, "How is Walter non-traditional?"

Scully grins, "You don't meet many girls named Walter."

"So what does this mean for the x-files?"

Scully answers, "I will be…"

Mulder cuts her off, "We will be retiring after the baby comes. I have found a pair of fully capable, younger agents to replace us."

Scully's jaw drops, "What?"

Skinner shakes his head, "You're giving up the x-files?"

"I would love to remain a consultant, sort of a mentor to our replacements, if that would be okay with you."

"Mulder, I am glad that you mentioned that."

"You are?" He queries.

"A former colleague of mine works at Quantico. For years he has been asking me to send him someone non-traditional to help him teach new recruits about the fundamentals. Specifically he is looking for someone who will engrain new recruits with the idea that every lead must be followed, every theory must be considered, and sometimes things are not what they seem. He wants them to be thorough, because he is finding that in recent years young agents have become lax, and frankly a little sloppy. I never said anything about it to you, because I never considered that you would be interested, Mulder."

"I don't think that they would be interested in me. I am a bit non-traditional."

"He asked for you by name."

"He asked for spooky Mulder?" Scully questions in disbelief.

* * *

Later that day Scully is finishing her case report, when Mulder returns from the bathroom. He takes a seat at his desk. He clears his throat, interrupts the silence that is necessary for her to finish typing her report.

"I think my work here is done," he announces, boldly.

She looks over at him through her spectacles.

"I am almost done for the day."

"That isn't what I mean, Scully."

"Were you serious about what you said in Skinner's office?" She questions.

"About replacements? Yes I was completely serious."

"Why didn't you share this information with me?"

"I only came to this realization this morning on the car ride over here to the office."

"So you pulled it out of your ass?"

"Basically, but I feel very confident about it," he reveals.

"I'll be finished in a couple of minutes," she tells him.

"Scully, I didn't mean for the day," he adds.

"Mulder, what are you getting at?"

"I was very serious about what I said, and I think that we have made a lot of progress. I think that it is time to put this in our past. It was fun while it lasted, but there comes a time when it is necessary to move on. It is essential to abandon the things that weigh us down."

"You are very zen about this," she realizes.

"I am just so excited by the thought if creating a new life."

She rolls her eyes, "I am the one over here growing new life."

"And you are doing an excellent job. Our daughter is very fortunate that you have so kindly provided her with your womb as a place to gestate in preparation to enter this world."

"Mulder, you have lost your mind."

"I am hurt, Scully. I thought that you would welcome my new found appreciation of life. It is a totally new perspective, and…"

"You are being delusional," she tells him.

"I am having a positive outlook."

"Your positive outlook is going to earn you diaper duty."

"I will gladly be the chief diaper changer."

"I am beginning to think that this is stranger than our cases."

He furrows his brow, "What are you talking about?"

"I think that the government has taken you, and replaced you with some diluted version of yourself. I am beginning to think that you are their guinea pig."

"It's the medication that you've been feeding for my gastroesophageal reflux all of these years. They used their scientific findings to their advantage by enlisting you to do their dirty work. Maybe you are part of the conspiracy," he jokes.

"If I were part of the conspiracy you would be blue."

"Scully, I'm not depressed by it. It makes logical sense. It wouldn't be the first time I considered that you were part of the conspiracy," he admits.

"No, you would be the color blue. I think it would be very flattering," she grins.

"I am trying to make a serious point, and you have to go and ruin my sentiments with your sarcasm, and humor."

"I try."


	10. Seeing The Future Through The Past

He has spent his Saturday afternoon running errands, and going for a jog. When he returns home he grabs the mail, and heads inside. He carries items from the hardware store through the entryway, and places them on the tile. He tosses the mail on the kitchen table, and heads into the living room. He finds Scully lying on the couch on her side, sound asleep. Her book is lying on the floor, and her hand is place against her abdomen. She is still wearing her glasses. He takes a seat in the armchair that is adjacent to the couch. He sits is silence, for several moments taking it all in.

This whole situation feels foreign to him. He never would have imagined residing in a home in suburban Virginia. He never would have considered that he would succeed in convincing her to be with him. He shares her home, and they share a life. Soon, he reminds himself, they will be joined by a new life. A little girl, who he suspects will have him wrapped around his finger in an instant. He vacates his seat, and shifts into a squatting position. He squats between the couch, and the coffee table. He knows that when she wakes up she will chide him for being a creep. He takes the risk anyway.

She is dressed in unusually casual attire. She wears sweat pants, and his Georgetown t-shirt, both of which are in various shades of gray. He realizes he has always been so busy chasing some big bad that he never considered this. He never allowed his mind to wander to the possibility of a lazy Saturday afternoon here with his true love. This normal life seems more magical to him that he had previously considered. He grins thinking about her lying on the couch, pregnant with their child. He feels a pang of guilt, and regret for the experiences he missed in the past through faults of his own. He presses his hand to her abdomen. He feels movement under his hand. A hand then presses against his.

"Mulder, what are you doing?" She questions as she holds her hand over his.

He looks over at her, "Nothing."

"I was asleep," she points out.

"I didn't mean to disturb you."

"We were both resting," she adds.

"She wanted to you to wake up," he insists.

He rises from his position on the floor. She shifts into a sitting position. He takes a seat on the couch, next to her.

"Did you finish the errands?" She queries.

"I did," he nods, with a pensive look on his face.

"What did you do?" She quizzes.

"Nothing," he answers with a look of guilt on his face.

"Something," she argues.

"I bought something for the baby."

"You got the paint?"

"I did get the paint, but that was not what I was referring to."

"What did you get?"

He temporarily leaves the room. He returns with a paper bag with handles. He offers it to her. She reaches inside, and pulls out an object wrapped in tissue paper.

"What is it?"

"You have to open it," he tells her.

She carefully unwraps the object. When she removes all the tissue paper she finds a music box. She looks up at him, and grins.

"It's perfect."

He sits on the arm of the chair, next to the couch.

"I think that you should open it," he suggests.

"Open it?"

He points to the drawer that pulls out in order for the music to play.

"Do you want me to wind it up?"

"That isn't necessary," he tells her.

"Is there something in the drawer?"

"Dana, just open it," he insists.

She nods as she eyes him suspiciously. She pulls open the drawer, and finds a ring inside.

"What's this?"

"You fell asleep pretty early last night," he points out.

"I am a geriatric pregnant woman."

"My point is, it gave me a chance to have an important discussion."

"With whom?"

"Our daughter," he answers.

She shakes her head in disbelief, "What did she have to say?"

"She reminded me that neither you, nor myself are getting any younger."

"Thank you for that."

"It is time that we put childish things away, Scully."

She furrows her brow, "What are you talking about?

"Notions that this," he holds up the ring, "isn't necessary. Dana, it is time."

"What are you saying?"

"We should stop living in sin, we are not in our twenties. We should make things official."

"You want me to marry you?"

He nods, "Would that be so bad?"

"Is this you trying to propose to me?"

"I would like very much if you would marry me. I would like nothing more than you, Dana Katherine Scully to become my wife."

"Ugh," she groans, "You are terrible at being sappy."

"I really appreciate that you are allowing your hormones to do the talking," he jokes.

"It is true."

"Scully, I know that you have your reservations, and for very valid reasons. I just think that it is time that I make you Misses Mulder. You are having my child, and your mother wouldn't approve if you don't marry me, and you give birth to another child out of wedlock."

" _When you say it like that it sounds so appealing, and also very unlikely."_

" _Will you marry me, or not?"_

 _She grins, "Only because of the potential consequences."_

 _He slips the ring on her finger, "That brings me to another very important point. Scully, we told our Skinner."_

" _I recall, that was just last week."_

" _We still haven't told your mother."_

" _I don't know how to tell her."_

" _I suggest over food."_

" _Thanks, I hadn't considered that."_

" _Pizza sounds pretty good," he adds._

" _For lunch?"_

" _I ordered pizza for lunch," he admits._

" _When will it be here? I am getting hungry."_

" _Any minute."_

 _The doorbell rings._

" _Scully, can you get that?" Mulder questions._

 _She shoots him a look. He fishes his wallet out, and hands her money._

" _That isn't what the look is for," she admits._

" _Please," he implores her._

 _She shakes her head, and vacates her seat on the couch. She moves towards the door. She pulls the door open, and finds her mother standing in the doorway._


	11. Whorehouse Pink

" _Scully, it may not be pizza. I invited your mother over. It's probably her," Mulder calls from the living room._

 _She stares at her mother in disbelief, "What are you doing here, mom?"_

" _Mulder invited me," she explains, with her purse in hand._

" _He didn't mention that to me."_

" _Obviously Fox isn't the only one who has failed to mention important details."_

 _Dana follows her mother's line of sight. She takes a step back, "Come in."  
Margaret agrees, and enters the house. Mulder greets her. _

" _I am going to go in the other room to order some pizza. I will leave the two of you to talk," he announces as he turns to leave the room. Fox disappears into the dining room as Dana escorts her mother into the living room. Margaret takes a seat, and Dana nervously perches herself on the arm of the chair._

" _I see that you have finally been successful in your efforts, although I was not aware that you were still pursuing such efforts, since you and Fox have been together rather inconsistently."_

 _Scully deliberates on how to respond. "Are you referring to IVF?"_

" _Yes, but I thought that you had quit pursuing that years ago."_

" _We did," she admits._

" _What made you decide to start again?"_

" _I didn't decide," she answers._

" _So it was Mulder?" She questions._

" _Neither of us decided," she explains._

" _So the embryos were about to exceed their shelf life? I have never been entirely up to date on how all of this works."_

" _On how what works? Mom we didn't have any embryos left."_

" _I don't understand. I also don't understand why I am just finding out about this. Obviously this is not an entirely new development."_

" _Do you remember what happened at Thanksgiving?"_

" _You insinuated that I interrogated Fox."_

" _You did interrogate him," Scully insists._

" _What is your point?"_

" _Do you remember how Bill complained that there wasn't enough wine for dinner?"_

" _I don't know where it all went."_

" _After our conversation I may have taken a bottle or two out of the cabinet. I was pretty irritated."_

" _Is that where the Scotch went?"_

" _Mulder is responsible for that."_

" _Why are you telling me this?"_

 _Dana motions towards her stomach, "Because all of this happened in a far more typical fashion than countless rounds of IVF."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Mulder and I had a serious discussion, fueled by alcohol on Thanksgiving. Fast forward roughly nine months, and this should be arriving."_

" _You are saying that you got pregnant the old fashioned way?"_

" _Yes," she nods in confirmation._

" _How?"_

 _Scully shakes her head, "I would not care to even venture a guess. I don't know how it was even remotely possible."_

" _Why didn't you tell me?" Margaret quizzes._

" _I am telling you now," she admits._

" _How far along are you?"_

" _It doesn't matter, "Scully insists._

" _Dana, please."_

" _About five and a half months."_

 _Her eyes widen, "Why didn't you tell me?"_

" _I wanted to tell you in person, and we have been very busy."_

" _You should have called."_

" _I'm sorry," she apologizes._

" _Obviously Fox thought that I should be in the loop, unlike you. Why do you feel the need to hide important information from me all of the time?"_

" _I wasn't trying to hide this from you."_

" _You certainly were not forthcoming about it."_

" _It wasn't that I was intentionally trying to hide it from you," she insists._

" _You just skyped me two days ago, and you didn't mention it then."_

" _You didn't mention that you were coming to over," Dana points out._

" _I didn't know. Fox called me after I spoke with you, and told me I should come visit. He said you wanted to have dinner. Why are you upset with me? I am the one who has a daughter who is by some unusual turn of events expecting a baby, and has certainly known about it for some time, and didn't mention it to me."_

" _I'm sorry."_

 _Scully places her hand on her stomach, as her unborn daughter does a backflip in her womb. Margaret eyes her suspiciously._

" _Is there something else that you would like to tell me, while I'm here?"_

 _Fox enters the room, "Yes, there is. She has finally agreed to accompany me down the altar. In her defense she just agreed before you got here."_

" _Fox, can I ask you something?" Margaret wonders._

 _He nods, "Absolutely."_

" _What the hell has taken you so long?"_

" _Well, I guess I am just a bit of a late bloomer," he admits._

" _It appears so."_

" _I am going to paint the nursery later, would you like to see the color?"_

" _Did she clean her shoes out of the room, yet?"_

 _He grins, "We moved the office furniture into the shoe room, because to her that seemed more logical."_

" _Dana," she scolds her daughter, "You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time."_

" _What color did you pick out?" Scully changes the subject._

" _I know that you had suggested something dull, and boring, but I went something with a little more flair."_

 _Dana groans, "Not the whorehouse pink."_

" _First of all, you know that was not the actual name of the color," he insists, "and secondly, you made it very clear the level of disdain you had for that color. I purchased a muted shade of pink, and the boring gray that you suggested."_

 _Margaret interjects, "Pink?"_

 _Fox looks at Dana, "You didn't tell her?"_

" _I hadn't told her yet," Scully answers._


	12. Poorly Prepared

"Earth to Scully," A familiar voice brings her back from her temporary alternate reality. She looks up, and finds Mulder staring at her. She is sitting on the couch, and he is holding a ring in his hand. She smiles at him, and remains silent. "Scully where did you go just now?"

"I was just thinking about if my mother were still here how upset she would have been that we hadn't told her about all of this."

"Would you like to put this on?" He asks her.

She nods, and takes the ring from the palm of his hand. She places the ring on her finger.

"I know that you miss her. I wish that she could be here for this. I am sorry that she isn't here for this. She would have been so happy."

"She would have lectured us for not being better prepared," Dana suggests.

"Haven't we figured out how this happens by now?" He grins.

"Some realities are more unlikely than the best written fiction," she admits.

"I know that you are cautious about all of this, and that is understandable. I understand why you wanted to wait to tell anyone. I know that you're afraid."

"I am nervous that something terrible will happen," she reveals.

He takes a seat next to her, and she turns to face him.

"Everything has come back completely and totally normal," he reminds her.

"I don't know which scares me more, the thought of something being wrong, or nothing being wrong?"

He furrows his brow, "What do you mean?"

"At this stage in our lives I would anticipate something being wrong," she points out.

"All of the genetic testing has come back totally within normal limits."

She nods, "What if there is something wrong with me? What if I am the problem? What if I can't carry her to full term, or something happens during child birth? What if I hemorrhage, and die, and you have to raise her own your own?"

He shakes his head, "Why do you always jump to the worst case scenario?"

"Are you telling me that it is something that you haven't considered?"

"Nothing bad is going to happen."

"What if it does?"

"We will deal with it as it happens."

"What if she arrives too early, and has cerebral palsy, or…"

He cuts her off, "It doesn't matter. When you decide to have a child whether you are twenty or four hundred you sign up for whatever is given to you. There is no such thing as perfect. Why are you so hung up on something going wrong?"

"I am just so afraid that something will happen. I am terrified that I will do something wrong. What if I am responsible for…"

He cuts her off, "Just stop. Where has all of your faith gone? Why are you so full of doubt right now?"

She purses her lips, "Because this entire scenario is entirely unlikely. What are the chances of me conceiving a child now? What has changed? None of this makes sense."

He realizes the true reason behind her fear, "You think that this is a conspiracy, don't you? Do you honestly believe that the government has some hand in this?"

"I can't believe that it hasn't crossed your mind."

"Who cares if it is? Scully, we are being given a second chance here, and I don't think that we should be questioning it. In a few months we are going to bring another life into this world, and it is time that we both come to terms with that."

"Did you get the paint?" She questions shifting the topic of conversation.

"I did."

"We should get the bathroom painted this week," she points out.

"I will. I bought paint for the nursery, too."

"I told you to wait."

"Until when, Scully? We can't wait to do everything until she is crawling out of you. I think we need to start getting prepared. We haven't bought the first thing. Her room is empty, and you are right, it is more likely that she will arrive early. I think we need to start preparing for her arrival."

"Are you going to paint a UFO on her wall?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Scully."

She scowls, "But you bought plastic glow in the dark stars, didn't you?"

"I did not."

"Really?" She cocks an eye brow.

"I may have purchased a onesie that said something about Roswell."

"I thought that we agreed we wouldn't buy anything until it got closer to time."

"I did agree, but I couldn't help myself. The anticipation has been killing me. You won't talk about what you want to name her, or what color we should paint the nursery, so I just took some liberties."

"How much stuff have you bought?"

"Just a couple of things, really," he fibs.

"Where are you keeping them?"

"They are around here, somewhere."

"Is this why you insisted on putting a lock on the utility room downstairs?"

"The laundry room?"

"The utility room that I use for storage, where the fuse box is located."

"I set up a small desk in there, remember?"

"I do, but it is a large room, and I also recall you forcing me to clean out some of the items in that room so you could have more space. There is hardly anything in there."

"Scully, don't be ridiculous. That room is a glorified closet."

"It is eight by ten, it is plenty big enough," she argues.

"Your wrapping paper is in there," he adds.

"I have one container of wrapping paper. You made me rid out everything else."

"Did you need to save a mauve pant suit from the early nineties?"

"Probably not," she admits.

"Or a box full of VHS tapes?"

"You have junk, too, Mulder."

"A stationary bike with a layer of dust so thick that it made the dust mites sick?"

Without a word she vacates her seat on the couch. "Where are you going?" He calls after her. He watches her leave the room, and he quickly scrambles to prevent her from finding his secrets. He races down the stairs to the basement to find her standing in front of the door of the utility room. She tries to open the door.

"You don't have a key," he grins, in self-satisfaction. She rolls her eyes, and the look on her face makes him realize that she is not going to be deterred. She turns, and opens a shoe box full of documents sitting next to the shredder to be disposed of. She pulls out an old credit card, and returns to the door.

"That isn't going to work," he tells her.

She ignores him, and places the credit card between the door, and the doorjamb. She shifts the card around the lock until she is able to push the door open.


	13. Just A Box

She enters the room, reaching to her right for the light switch. She turns on the light, and finds a desk, and chair in the corner closest to her. As the overhead fluorescent light illuminates the room her eyes begin to adjust. She hears Mulder enter the room behind her. She doesn't turn around to scold him, and he doesn't insist that she turn and leave. She moves forward, and finds various boxes lying in front of her. First she spots at box full of DVD's, which she totally ignores. The next box she spots is a Sterlite container. She lifts the lid, and finds the Roswell onesie lying inside. It is white with black writing. She lifts it out of the box, and reads it to herself. _From Roswell_. There is a picture of an alien underneath the writing. She rolls he eyes, and lays it aside. She finds some blankets, and a couple of pink baby sleepers. One has owls, and there are other various patterns. One sleeper is green, and has alien heads on it. She shakes her head. When she turns around, she finds Mulder standing next to her. Her reaches onto the metal shelf in the corner of the room. The shelf contains mostly books, and a few boxes she knows contains extra linens, like napkins, and table cloths. He takes a box from the top shelf, and hands it to her.

"What's this?" She asks as she looks at the box.

"I spoke to your brother," he begins.

"Bill?"

He nods in confirmation, "I asked him to ship this to us. He had Tara send it to us." He lifts the lid off the box. She peers inside, and finds a christening gown. She lifts the gown out of the box, and studies it closely. "I thought that you would want to have it," he explains.

She grins, as she chokes back tears. She places the christening gown back into the box. She looks at him in disbelief, "He didn't ask why you wanted it?"

"I told him that you would discuss it with him later."

"This was the gown that we were all christened in," she reveals.

He grins, "I know."

"Mom gave it to them for their kids."

He nods, "I know, but they didn't use it, because Tara wanted the one she was baptized in."

He places the box back on its resting place on the shelf. He finds Scully standing between him, and the door. He steps forward, and she doesn't move.

"Thank you," she tells him.

"It's cold down here, we should get back upstairs."

Monday morning comes, and she is in the bathroom wearing a robe. Her wet hair rests on her shoulders. The bathroom door is slightly ajar, and she calls out.

"Mulder, do you think you're going to get up anytime today?"

"Why are you up so early?" He asks her.

"We have to go to work," she answers.

"You do whatever makes your heart content," he tells her.

"We both work in the same basement," she points out.

"I took the day off," he admits.

She goes to the doorway, and sticks her head out. She finds him lying in bed, face down in his pillow.

"Are you being serious right now?" She queries.

"I am. I have things to attend to today."

"What do you propose that I do?"

"You have to go to work."

"That is a load of crap," she argues.

"I spoke to Skinner last night," he reveals.

"And?"

"We are going to have to start organizing for the handoff."

"The handoff? What the hell are you talking about?"

"When the new agents take over for us," he tells her.

"I didn't think that you were serious about that."

"I was very serious about that. I guess I should probably mention to you that I took the job at Quantico."

"What? When did you interview for the job at Quantico?"

"I didn't. I called the guy to set up an interview, and he hired me."

"Are you being serious, right now?"

"I gave Skinner a one month time frame," he reveals to her.

"A one month time frame for what?" She heads to the sink to brush her teeth.

"Us to hand things over to the new agents."

"And then what?"

"My new job starts the following week."

"You are joking, right?"

"Nope."

"What do you propose that I do?"

"I thought that you said you wanted to stay home."

"What am I going to do at home?"

"That ball is in your court, Scully," he rolls out of bed.

She mulls over the information that he has just provided as she spits toothpaste into the sink. He enters the bathroom, and kisses her cheek.

"That isn't going to work," she insists.

"You're always so pleasant in the morning," he grins.

"You're always such an ass, in the morning," she responds as he heads to the shower.

"That hurts, Scully."

"What are you going to do today?"

"I have to paint," he reminds her.

"You finished painting the bathroom yesterday," she points out.

"Go to work, and don't worry about me."

She groans, as she reaches for the hair dryer, "You are completely maddening."

"It is my life goal. One day I hope to visit you in a psychiatric ward. I know that we can both agree that I have the higher likelihood of being there, but I hope to push you over the edge eventually."

"That is such a kind, and sincere goal," she scoffs.

"Last night you threatened to smother me with a pillow."

"You snore," she reminds him.

"I am not the only one around here who snores," she argues.

"Are you talking about the dog? He sleeps downstairs," she reminds him, "In his kennel. He doesn't disturb anyone."

"I am talking about you, Scully. Why do you think you end up in a position other than what you started out in?"


	14. Invasion of The Body Snatchers

He enters the suburban home, after another day at Quantico. He finds that Scully isn't downstairs when he enters the house. The dog greets him.

"I am glad that someone is excited to see me. Where is your mama?"

The dog races up the stairs. Mulder follows the pooch into the nursery. He finds Scully sitting on the floor in the middle of the nursery, surrounded by baskets of laundry. She sits on the floor with her legs folded in front of her.

"What are you doing down there?"

"I was tired, so I decided to sit down for a minute."

"That seems reasonable," he waits for further details.

"I then realized that I can't get back up."

"What do you mean?"

"In case you have never noticed, I am short."

"Only once, have I noticed that," he teases.

"My legs are not particularly long," she adds.

"That is okay," he tells her, "Not everyone can have long legs."

"There is a baby sitting on top of my bladder."

"Only for like three more weeks," he points out, as he stares at her rather round stomach.

"The point is, my center of gravity has shifted, and my stomach is preventing me from gathering the momentum required to get up."

"Don't forget your short legs," he smiles.

She grabs a burp cloth out of the laundry basket, and tosses it at him. He catches it. "Scully, how long have you been down there?"

"Twenty minutes."

He holds out a hand. She shoots him a begrudging look as she takes his hand. He assists her into a standing position.

"What are you doing in here?"

"You have nagged me continuously, for months to get prepared," she reminds him.

"I have," he nods.

"I went shopping this morning."

"Is there anything left on the shelf at babies r' us?"

"The crib sheet, and blankets are in the dryer."

"You want me to retrieve them, I suppose?"

"I am going to put her clothes into her drawers."

"At least she has clothes now. I really feel like at some point we switched bodies, because you never used to be the procrastinator."

"I would gladly switch you bodies. Your daughter thinks that my ribs are a prime location to practice tap dancing."

"I am going to leave you up here to nest, while I go retrieve the laundry from the dryer, fold it very slowly, and then bring it up here."

He is putting the last towel in the basket when he hears his name being called.

"Mulder!"

He races up the stairs with the basket of laundry. Much to his dismay Scully is not on the ground level of the home. He takes a deep breath, and heads up the next flight of stairs. He heads into the nursery, and finds it vacant. He calls out.

"Where are you?"

"In here," he hears her voice coming from the bathroom.

He enters the master bathroom, and finds her standing in the bathroom with a paper towel under foot, wiping something off the floor.

"What are you doing?" Before she can answer he reaches down, "Let me get that."

She lifts her foot, and he begins to wipe the floor up.

"Did the dog pee in here? I just took him out before I went to the laundry room."

"It isn't dog pee, Mulder."

From his position on the floor he looks up at her. He sees liquid on her leg.

"You peed on the floor?" He cocks an eyebrow.

She shakes her head, "It isn't urine."

"Oh," he sighs in relief as he tosses the paper towel into the trash can. He stands up, and turns towards her. He furrows his brow. "Then what is it?"

She doesn't answer him. She stands in front of the sink, gripping the edge of the counter.

"Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" She growls.

"That wasn't urine, which means it was… part of a mucus plug? That's even worse than urine."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Go into the closet and get a pair of scrub pants."

"Scrub pants and a t-shirt, that is a pretty casual look."

"Now!" She growls.

He makes a beeline for the closet. He pulls out a pair of ceil blue scrub pants, and races back to the bathroom. He hands them to her. He helps her balance as he pulls them on. He proceeds to follow her into the bedroom. She takes a seat on the bed. He waits for further explanation, or instruction.

"Are you in labor?"

"It is a serious possibility," she confirms.

"How long have you been having contractions?"

"Since noon," she answers.

He looks at his watch, "It's six thirty."

"I know."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"At first they were completely irregular, and I didn't think that I was going into labor."

"What time did you get home?"

"Around two."

"So you kept on shopping, even though you thought you might be in labor?"

"You said it yourself, I left everything to the last minute."

"The bag is in the car, and we installed the car seat in your car last week. Let's go."

"Okay," she nods in agreement.

"You are so stubborn."

"You're just learning that?" She retorts as he leads her to the staircase.

"I have known for a while," he responds.

"Come on!"

He doesn't argue. He helps her down the stairs, and to the car. He straps her into the passenger's seat of her car, and he climbs into the driver's seat.

"I am not pulling over to deliver a baby, so keep her in until we get to the hospital, please."

"What do you want me to do, cross my legs?"


	15. Magnum Opus

He grins at her, and she eyes him suspiciously.

"Do you realize that you just admitted that you were wrong?"

"I am wrong sometimes, but what are you referring to in this particular instance?"

"You said that nothing good has ever come from me uttering the phrase, 'I was thinking,' and obviously you're wrong," he insists as he places his hand on her abdomen.

Her hand joins his, and she sighs, "I guess that you're right, Mulder."

"Finally, after twenty three years you have admitted that I am right."

"I can admit that you are right about this."

He shifts positions, and moves his face close to her abdomen. He begins speaking, "Dearest daughter, we were wondering if you would be gracing us with your presence anytime soon. I know that you haven't yet met us, but I have to admit we may be slightly geriatric. I don't want you to be alarmed, but we are not as spry as we used to be. What I am saying is that we have waited a long time for you to show up, and we were just hoping that you would arrive in the next hour or so. I know that you are probably thinking to yourself that it is scary out here. I have to agree, but there are no two people who are better prepared to protect you from this scary world. Your mother and I have been up all day, and it would be great if you would come out and meet us."

"Mulder did you ever consider that she has inherited your stubbornness?"

He shakes his head, "It never crossed my mind."

An hour later they have both just dozed off when the nurse enters the room. She checks Scully's vitals, monitors, and cervix.

"Do you want me to wake him up?" She queries.

"I don't think that is necessary. I don't feel that it is required to alert the media to the dilation of my cervix, as it is now probably only a seven. He has been up over twenty four hours. I think we can let him sleep. I mean at this rate of progress she probably won't be here until tomorrow, anyway."

"We should probably wake him up," she argues.

"What is the point?"

"I am going to go grab the doctor."

"I don't think that is necessary."

"You are fully dilated, and fully effaced. It is time for you to meet your stubborn little one."

"Oh," she exhales.

"Do you want me to wake him?"

She shakes her head, "No, I'll do it."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Scully watches the nurse leave the room. She looks over at Mulder, who has his feet propped up on a second chair. Scully grins as she notes the bag of sunflower seeds sitting between them. She grabs a handful of seeds, and begins tossing them at him one at a time. One hits him right in the face, and he opens his eyes. He eyes her with a look of disapproval.

"Scully I just fell asleep. What gives?" He queries.

"You have to wake up."

"Why are you awake?" He wonders.

"They nurse just came in and woke me up," she answers.

"Is it necessary for me to be awake just because you are?"

"No."

"Do you want more ice chips?"

"I have eaten my weight in ice chips," she reminds him.

"Do you want me to sneak you a jello cup? You're probably getting pretty hungry by now."

"I don't want a jello cup."

"Maybe, pudding?" He suggests.

"I want you to wake up, because it is time."

"That is what you told me yesterday, and I still haven't seen the proof."

"I am fully dilated," she announces.

He shakes his head, "I don't think so."

"The nurse just checked my cervix," she tells him.

"Are you sure?"

"That the nurse just checked my cervix? You tend to recall someone sticking their fingers into your cervix," she growls.

"Are you sure that you are fully dilated?"

"Yes."

"Okay, let's get this show on the road."

Soon the nurse is filled with staff members. Mulder looks around at the staff who has donned personal protective equipment. The bed is broken down, and he is instructed to hold a leg. He watches as she pushes, and pushes. An hour later and a half it is clear that little progress is being made, and Scully is beginning to become incredibly fatigued.

The doctor interjects, "I think that it is time to start discussing the possibility that the baby's head it too big to fit through the birth canal. We can use a vacuum, or forceps to assist."

"No."

"Then maybe we should consider a c-section. You have been in labor for quite some time, and you have been pushing for over an hour."

"No," she shakes her head, "Let me push a little while longer." Her face is beet red, and there are beads of sweat covering her face. Mulder squeezes her hand.

"Dana, I know that you're tired. You can do this. Give them a few more pushes. You can do it."

She exhales, and they wait for the next contraction. On the next contraction she tucks her chin to her chest, and pushes. As she pushes her face grows redder, and the vein in her forehead begins to pulsate. The head begins to move forward. After a few moments of recovery she pushes again. This time the head advances through the birth canal. After another push the doctor is delivering the shoulders. The room is filled with sound of crying as the brand new baby begins turning bright red. They place the baby on Scully's chest, and stimulate her breathing by vigorously rubbing her back.

"Hello, baby girl," Mulder grins.


	16. Little Bird

Hours later the baby has had all of the goo cleaned off of her, and has be thoroughly assessed. She has all pertinent anatomical parts, and does not show any signs of any defect, or adverse effects from sitting in the birth canal for so long other than a bruise on her forehead. Mulder sits next to the hospital bed, and watches in awe as Scully holds the baby. The baby is pressed against her chest, with her ear to her heart. Scully stares at the newborn, despite clear evidence that she is completely exhausted. The newborn's lids remain open wide, revealing a pair of slate colored eyes. A cap obscures a head full of red hair.

"Do you think at any point I am going to get a chance to hold her?"

"I may consider it," she answers.

He takes a seat on the bed, next to her. She reluctantly relinquishes the newborn to him. He carefully wraps the baby in her blanket, and secures her in the crook of his arm.

"What are we going to name her?"

Scully smiles, "I am fairly certain that you named her some time ago."

"I want you to call her whatever you see fit."

"You name her."

"No," he shakes his head.

"Then we will just have to wait until Skinner gets her with the envelope."

"That should be any minute," he reminds her, "What about a middle name, Scully? Do you want to name her after your mother, or you sister?"

"No. We can name her after your sister, or your mother, if you would like?"

"No," he shakes his head, "We should let her be her own person."

"What if we give her the middle name Truly?"

"Truly? I like it. That does bring me to my next question."

"What is her last name going to be?" Scully guesses.

"I was just wondering."

"We're married," she reminds him.

"You refused to change your name," he points out.

"She should have your last name."

"Are you sure? You are being awfully generous with names today."

"I got to name…" she trails off.

Her facial expression quickly changes. He pats her hand. He stares at their daughter, knowing her thoughts have wondered to questions they may never have answered. He knows that despite the joy surrounding this occasion it is bittersweet for them. Before he can offer further reassurances someone knocks at the door.

"Come in," Mulder answers.

The door opens, and Skinner enters the room. He carries a bag, and is armed with a smile. He approaches Dana, and gives her the bag. He then marches over to the sink and proceeds to wash his hands. He returns to the beside, and approaches Mulder. Mulder vacates his seat, and Skinner quickly takes it. Mulder hands the baby girl to him. Scully looks over at Skinner.

"Did you bring the envelope?" She questions.

"I didn't," he admits, "But I brought a present. You should open it."

She nods in agreement. Mulder hovers between Skinner and Scully, as Scully removes the tissue paper from the gift bag. She reaches inside, and pulls out a blanket. It is a pink blanket with a single word embroidered on it.

"Wren," Scully exhales, as she traces the embroidery.

Mulder looks over at the infant, who rests in Skinner's arms. She opens her eyes, and looks up at them. Mulder smiles at her, "Hi, pretty girl." He slips the baby out of Skinner's arms and hands her to Scully. Dana unwraps the baby, and lies her on her legs, which are stretched out in front of her, and covered with bedclothes.

"Wren," she whispers.

The newborn searches for the source of this voice. Scully smiles as she scoops the baby up, bringing her to rest in her arms. The newborn wears a white long-sleeved t-shirt with buttons, and a diaper. She spits the green pacifier out of her mouth.

"What are you doing?" The newborn proceeds to stick fingers into her mouth.

Mulder is familiar with this queue already. He turns towards Skinner.

"You know, we haven't eaten yet, why don't you join me in the cafeteria, and we will return in a few."

"Okay," Skinner nods in agreement.

The two men leave the room, leaving Scully alone with the newborn. Mulder heads to the cafeteria, and grabs something to eat. Walter joins him at the table. Skinner breaks the silence as Mulder shovels a bite of green jello into his mouth.

"Mulder she's perfect."

"We think so," he admits, going for another bite of jello.

"I recently received a letter," he admits.

Mulder furrows his brow, "I would assume that you receive mail on a regular basis, Walter."

"It was a request."

"How does this impact me?"

"It came in the mail yesterday, and…"

"Skinner what are you talking about?"

Walter reaches into the pocket of his jacket, and pulls out an envelope. He hands the envelope to Mulder. Mulder wipes his mouth, and hands, and proceeds to remove the letter from the envelope. He reads the letter to himself, and then turns towards his former boss. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"Is this legitimate?"

"If it was?"

He shrugs, "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Mulder."

She glances at the clock as she carefully burps the newborn baby. She wonders what is taking them so long. It has been close to an hour since they left. She wraps her daughter in the hospital receiving blanket. She stares at the little girl, as she sleeps in her arm. Her chest rises, and falls as she inhales, and exhales. She has a tiny nose, and symmetrical lips. She looks like the perfect combination of her two parents. Scully's mind begins to wonder. A knock on the door stops her train of thought.

"Come in," she answers.

Mulder, and Skinner return to the room.


	17. Shoe Room

Two days later she finds herself sitting at home, in a nursery. She rocks back, and forth in a glider, as a sleeping baby rests in her arms. The newborn wears a pink down, and a matching crocheted hat. One socked foot pokes out of her gown. Scully carefully tucks the foot back into the gown. The other foot pokes out, sans sock. She reaches inside the gown, and locates a sock. She replaces the sock, and returns the foot where it belongs. It is late and the room is illuminated only by a lamp. She looks up, and finds a familiar figure standing in the doorway.

"Why are you standing in the doorway?"

He grins, "Just looking at the two of you," he answers as he enters the room.

He wears a five o'clock shadow, a grey t-shirt, and pair of blue pajama bottoms. Without a word he lifts the newborn from her arms. He lifts the baby up, and plants a kiss on her cheek. He places the newborn in her crib, and his wife eyes him suspiciously.

"Why did you bring her in here, if you want her to sleep in our room?"

"I didn't want to wake you up."

"Our room is right across the hall," he tells her.

"What if I don't hear her?" She answers.

"I will hear her. I am not going to let anything happen to her."

"I know," she answers with a glum look on her face.

"Scully, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing," she lies.

"Another baby?"

"He isn't a baby anymore, Mulder."

"I know."

He offers her a hand. She reaches for it, and he assists her out of the glider. She rises to her feet. He pulls her close, wrapping her in his arms. Eventually he lets go, and they return to their room. She climbs into bed, and he stops in the doorway. He turns around.

"Where are you going?"

He doesn't answer her. Moments later he returns with Wren. He places her in the bassinet next to his side of the bed.

"I like it better if I can see her," he admits.

She just shakes her head, as she reaches over to turn off her lamp.

"Scully, wait."

"Mulder, I'm tired."

"Scully, there is something I need to tell you."

"What?"

"Skinner was telling me about a letter that he received."

"Can this wait until morning?"

"No," he insists.

"Okay," she groans.

"He received this letter," Mulder pulls a folded envelope out of the drawer of his bedside stand. He hands the letter to her. She pulls out the letter, and begins to read.

 _Dear Mr. Skinner,_

 _I am writing this letter to you, as I have no idea who else to write it to. My parents recently died, and I discovered that all of the letters I wrote in the past were filed away in a shoebox that I found in their closet. I am writing this to you in hopes of getting in contact with my biological parents. I do not know much about them, only that they worked together at the FBI. Much of my life has been shrouded in secrecy. I inadvertently learned I was adopted by accident at age four. Since that fateful day I have been intent on finding my birth parents. I am temporarily staying with my best friend's family, but I will be moving to Texas to live with my aunt, and uncle. I have voiced much disapproval of this. I do not want to move to Texas. I want to be reunited with my birth parents. It is my understanding that I was placed for adoption as a means of protection. If they do not feel that they have the means to protect me now I would fully understand, however it would be my preference to be reunited with them. I would at least like to be afforded the opportunity to meet them._

 _Sincerely,_

 _William Fox_

As she turns towards her husband tears are streaming down her face.

"Why are you showing me this? How do you know that it is real?"

"Its authenticity has been verified. I didn't know how to tell you. I just found out at the hospital."

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I didn't know how."

"How can we know that this isn't a hoax?"

"Skinner verified it before he brought it to me."

"Verified it how?"

"He met with the author of this letter."

"He met with him?"

"Yes."

"What happened to his parents?"

"They died in a car accident. Skinner reviewed the reports, and went to the scene of the accident. There was nothing suspicious. It was foggy, and they were hit in an intersection by a teenage kid who failed to stop at the stop sign."

"How do we know that it is him?"

"Skinner verified his DNA."

"Verified how?"

"Against mine. I provided him with a sample."

"When did you find out that he was able to verify this?"

"Yesterday," Mulder admits.

"Why would you keep this from me?"

"I wanted to be certain. I wanted to get settled in at home with the baby before I told you."

"Where is he?"

"He's fine," he reassures her.

"How do you know?"

"When I went to get diaper wipes this morning I stopped and saw him."

Her eyes widen, "You saw him?"

"Yes," he nods in confirmation.

"Where is he?"

"He is safe, Scully."

"Why are you just now bringing this to me?"

"I didn't know how you would react. I didn't know what you would want to do," he admits.

"You didn't know how I would react, or what I would want to do? I want my son," she answers him.

"Okay," he nods.

"Okay? That's it?"

"We'll have to clean up the shoe room," he answers.


	18. Son

"We can put the shoes in the basement, Mulder."

"I doubt that a teenaged boy wants to live next to a newborn."

She climbs out of bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I am getting dressed," she tells him as she heads towards the closet. He vacates his seat on the bed. He pauses momentarily, to look at his newborn daughter, who is sound asleep in her basinet. He makes a beeline for the closet that is now well lit. He finds Scully digging through her dresser. He touches her shoulder.

"Scully, stop."

She turns around with a look of fury on her face, "Mulder!"

"Scully it is the middle of the night, where do you think that you're going?"

"To get my son," she answers.

"Dana! It is three thirty in the morning. Our daughter is sound asleep. We cannot drag her out at this hour. You certainly cannot go over there, and drag our son out of bed, when he doesn't even know who you are. This can wait until morning."

"How do we know that he is safe?"

"He is with Skinner."

"Oh."

"We can go over there in the morning," he insists, "Now go to bed."

"Why would you tell me this in the middle of the night?"

"I shouldn't have. I forgot that you are a crazy person."

She pulls her hair into a ponytail, and exits the bathroom in a grey t-shirt, and a pair of scrub pants. She sighs in frustration as her husband places their daughter into her car seat.

"Scully, what's the problem?"

"The only thing that fits appropriately are these stupid scrub pants," she growls.

"You look fine," he insists as he focuses on fastening Wren into her car seat.

"You're not paying one bit of attention to me."

He looks up at her, and holds out the diaper bag. She rolls her eyes as she secures it across her shoulder. He grabs the car seat, and follows her down the stairs. They file into the car, and Mulder secures Wren into the backseat. He climbs into the driver's seat as Scully climbs into the backseat, next to their daughter. They pull on their seatbelts, and the car is enveloped in silence. As they drive across town the silence remains. Finally they reach their destination. Mulder pulls to the curb, and shifts the car into park. Scully stares at their sleeping daughter. She is filled with a feeling of uncertainty as her husband opens the door. She exits the vehicle, and he scoops the newborn out of her car seat. They make their way up the stairs of a townhouse. Mulder pulls the door open, and they enter. In the hallway Scully stops. Mulder points to the door on the right, and Scully nods. She removes the infant from his arms, and he knocks on the door.

* * *

She hears the bolt turn, and the door opens. Skinner stands before them, dressed in a casual manner wearing jeans, and a t-shirt. He ushers them in. Mulder closes the door, and Skinner offers to take the baby. Scully nods, and carefully passes her off to Skinner. Mulder breaks the silence.

"Where is he?"

"He is in the guest room, I think that he's still asleep," Skinner tells him.

Scully looks up at Mulder, remaining silent.

Mulder speaks up, "Go ahead. I'll wait out here," he tells her.

She nods in agreement, as she begins moving forward.

"It's the second door on the right," Skinner tells her.

She disappears into the hallway. She walks past the bathroom, slowing as she moves towards the second door. She stops outside the room. The door is closed, and she tries to mentally prepare herself. She exhales, and reaches for the door handle. She slowly pushes the door open, and enters the room. She finds a teenaged boy lying underneath a blue comforter. He lies on his abdomen with his head turned toward her. His hair is cropped, shorter than she expected. She expects his hair to be dark, but it is red, like hers. She stands next to the bed, just staring at the sleeping boy. After a few moments she reaches out, and pats him on the shoulder.

"William?  
His eyes open, and he rolls onto his side. He rubs his eyes, and shifts into a sitting position. He greets her with a smile.

"Good morning."

"I'm…" she begins.

He interrupts, "I know who you are."

He stares up at her with Mulder's eyes. As he smiles she notices Mulder's crooked grin. He doesn't look like what she expected, what she had pictured.

"I go by Will," he tells her.

He moves towards the edge of the bed. He scoots towards the middle, and points to the space next to him.

"You can sit down. I won't bite."

She nods, and takes a seat next to him. He wears a black t-shirt that reads Roswell, New Mexico, and a pair of black pajama bottoms with UFO's on them. She notices a leather bracelet on his wrist with cross punched into the middle. She wonders if he dressed for the occasion, or those were his own choices. He notices her staring at his t-shirt.

"I went there last summer. I finally wore the family down, and convinced them to take me."

"Wore them down?" She questions.

"Most kids want to go to Disney world, when they're little, but that was never me. I have always been more interested in the implausible. According to the parental units it is because I watch far too many science fiction movies."

She just smiles, and he picks up on her facial expression. "Unless you have another theory."

"Did Mulder tell you what we did in the FBI?"

He shakes his head, "He, and Skinner just said that the two of you were agents, and you worked as partners."

"Will have you ever heard of the X-files?"

He nods, "I thought they were a myth."

She shakes her head, "No."

"I heard that there has been a recent addition," he changes the subject.

She smiles, "She is out in the living room."

He looks at her, but says nothing.

"You are probably wondering how that happened, since we are no longer spring chickens," she assumes.

"Fact is usually stranger than fiction," he points out.

"Would you like to meet her?"

"You know that you don't have to do this," he tells her.

She furrows her brow, "What do you mean?"

"Your life didn't stop fifteen years ago. You have another child, and I would understand if you didn't want to try and add a fifteen year old to the mix. I can go to Texas."

She shakes her head, turning towards him, "You are our son," she answers as he hugs him.


End file.
